Phelp-nomenal! US swimming star Michael Phelps has completed his amazing dream of winning 8 gold medals at the Beijing Olympics!

USA Swimming placed the ban on Phelps after a picture of him smoking marijuana at a party was leaked to the press, despite the fact that he was not breaking doping law: "This is not a situation where any anti-doping rule was violated, but we decided to send a strong message to Michael because he disappointed so many people," read the public statement.

The swimmer's training grant will also be withheld for the period of the suspension, according to USA Today.

The ban is a knockback for Phelps, who had hoped to compete in a Grand Prix event March 5-7 in Austin, Texas. His plans to compete in the world championships in July in Rome will also be affected, according to Marck Schubert, the USA swimming team's coach: "It will affect his preparation. It's not an ideal situation."

WHAT A DOPE

Phelps has also lost one of his major sponsorship deals with cereal giants Kellogg Co. The company said that "Michael's most recent behavior is not consistent with the image of Kellogg".

"I'm 23 years old and despite the successes I've had in the pool, I acted in a youthful and inappropriate way, not in a manner people have come to expect from me. For this, I am sorry. I promise my fans and the public it will not happen again" Phelps said about the drugs incident.

It wasn't the first scandal to hit Michael Phelps (23), who has won 14 gold medals in his career. Phelps was arrested in 2004 for drink driving and was on parole for 18 months.After his triumph in Beijing he grabbed headlines for his outrageous lifestyle: Gambling in Las Vegas and flirting with a stripper.